Collapsible seat and advertising piece



June 14, 1960 E. s. GOMES COLLAPSIBLE SEAT AND ADVERTISING PIECE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 9, 1958 m M m m June 14, 1960 E. s. GOMES 2,940,511

COLLAPSIBLE SEAT AND ADVERTISING PIECE Filed Jan. 9, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

I Y I f 5. /3 f A 4 1o 23 23 1 4 I L'\ 24 25 INVENTOR.

3/ 2? 2a 33 26 ZZ/a d Gama United tates Patent COLLAPSIBLE SEAT AND ADVERTISING PIECE Earl S. Gomes, 107 Ehrman Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio Filed Jan. 9, 1958, $61. No. 707,923

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-133) The present invention relates to a combination seat and advertising piece formed of a single flat sheet of materi l, which may be folded to present a neat and convenient package. .The device has utility as a formed cushion or pad designed to serve as a seat for protecting the users clothing against soil, dirt and moisture, usually found on benches and other forms of seats in public places such as parks, stadia, sports areas, and the like. The device also has insulating qualities which protect the person of the user against cold or heat from a surface used as a seat.

In addition to the merits above noted, the invention has other objectives includinguse of the device as an advertising piece, the panels of which may be imprinted as desired with advertising matter. In this connection also, the device may be used as a display stand for articles on sale.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character stated, which may be manufactured, transported, and stored with minimum expense and space requirements.

A further object is to provide for economical manufacture of the combination seat and advertising piece with the use of standard machinery, and with particular attention given to minimizing waste of sheet stock in the manufacturing process.

Another object is to provide a device of the character stated which may be set up for use with great ease and dispatch by following simple directions. No staples or other fasteners subject to corrosion, rusting, or looseness are used in the assembly.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a simple one-piece device for the purposes stated, which is exceptionally durable and serviceable, and which may be folded to compact form for repeated use and storage as occasion may require. When folded or collapsed, the device easily may be carried or stored without incon- 'venience.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front perspective view of the combination seat and advertising piece embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear View of the device illustrated by Fig. 1.

, Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the blank from which the deviceof Fig. l is formed.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing one of several collapsed conditions which the device may assume, for easystorage or shipment.

As illustrated upon Fig. 1, the combination seat and advertising piece is seen to comprise a fiat base panel 6 upon which a person may be seated, a pair of side panels.

7 and 8 defining the width of the seat, and a back board 9 upstanding at the rear hinge line 10 of the base panel. Spanning the back board is a back belt 12, shown on Fig. 2 and described later herein, which holds the back board in upright position and provides very substantial support 2,940,511 Patented June 14, 1960 The blank from which the device is assembled is illus trated by Fig. 1. This blank is strictly a one-piece shape formed from sheet material such as cardboard, corrugated carton stock, 'or other relatively inexpensive sheet paper stock from which the blank may be die cut 'or punched using an ordinary press. If desired, the sheet stock employed may be water repellent, and in the more expensive forms it may be reinforced in various ways to resist wear and deterioration, if such qualities are believed desirable. Sheet stock of material other than paper may be used in the manufacture of the blank, if suitable. The stock may be lithographed, printed, coated or impregnated in accordance with known practices, to impart such qualities as may be desired, depending upon the type of service the device may be expected to render in use. Corrugated core board stock has been found quite acceptable in the manufacture, as it has substantial body and possesses good insulating characteristics.

The side panels 7 and 8, and the arms 15 and 16 depending therefrom, are constituents of a pair of wings hinged at 17 and 18 to the side portions of the base panel 6. In the flat condition of the blank, Fig. 3, the arms 15 and i6 constitute about half the area of the wings, and extend in substantial parallelism with the side edges 21 and 22 of the back board 9. Said arms, in the assembled condition of the device, form the back belt 12 of Fig. 2. The line of separation between each side panel and, its associated arm or belt section, may be a double score line 23 which is a continuation of the double score line 10-20 hinging the base panel to the back board.

It may be noted that all the double score lines mentioned meet substantially at the junction points 24 and 25 common to the base panel, the back board, the side panels, and the arms or belt sections 15, 16. At the junction points, thematerial of the blank may be cut away as shown on Fig. 3, to facilitate folding of the parts to the assembled or set up position. The double score lines are substantially parallel to the top and forward edges 19 and 1 4, respectively, of the back board and the'base panel, and may be located approximately midway between said edges 19 and in a device proportioned according-to'the present exemplification. T

The belt sections 15 and 16 of the wings have terminal ends 26 and 27, which carry cooperative clasp or connector elements adapted to selectively joint the belt sections at the rear of the back board in accordance with Fig. 2. The particular nature of the cooperative clasp or connector elements is a matter of lesser importance to the present invention, and may therefore be subject to mod1' fication or substitution. in the example shown, section 16 at its terminal end is shaped to provide a T-head 28 connected to the belt section by a constricted neck 29 which may be scored transversely at 39. The head includes oppositely extending tabs 31, 3'1, angularly scored at '32 and 33 to induce bending of the tabs at right angles to the plane of section 16, or to the plane of the triangular area 34 bounded by the score lines 30, 32, 33. The tabs when so turned about their score lines 32, 33, are receivable in the triangular aperture 35 punched from the material of arm or section 15, to form the desired connection between the belt sections. After insertion of the T-head tabs into the triangular aperture, the tabs may be 1 tions and the back board 9 supported thereby.

f-Io disassemble the structure, it isynecessary only to -reach with the fingers between the back board 9 and the 'belt' 12, and. turn the tabs 31'31 angularly toward the back board sufliciently to permit withdrawal of head 28 from thetriangular aperture 35, whereupon the belt sec- .tions or arms 15 and 16 maybe swung into the planes of 1 side panels 7 and '8 according to Fig. 3; or if preferred, the wi ngs constituted. of parts 8 16, and 7 15, may in accordance with Fig. 4 be folded bodily onto the panels 6 ,and 9, to form a flat substantially rectangular package which is easily carried, shipped, or stored away :for fu- .ture use.- r

V; It may here be noted that collapse or folding of the device can be effected without disturbingthe connection ;at the back belt,'if desired-. This is made possible by pro- .viding the side panels 7 and 8 with score lines 36 and 37, w hich extend from the junction points 25 and124,v

frespectively, to substantially bisec t the'angle between the score lines 23 and the lines of hinging of panels 7 and 8 to the base panel 6. The score lines 36 and 37 may terminate at points 39, 39 on the outside edges of the panels 'I andS. Thus, when the device is set up as in Fig. 1, it ;may be instantly collapsed to fiat form by merely applying inward force to the two points 39, 39, for disposing ,thepanels 7 and 8 flatly upon base. panel 6, this resulting inforward arcuate swinging of back board 9 about its.

hinge 10- 20, into parallelism with and upon base panel 6. The back belt of course follows the swing of the back board, and remains against the rear face of the latter in :the collapsed condition of the device.

Another folding procedure is suggested by Fig. 4, I wherein the device may be caused'to form a smaller rectangle than there shown, by merely swinging the parts 9, ,1- and 16. upwardly'about the hinge'lines -20, and 23 23', to, place the parts 9,15 and 16in flatwise contact upon base panel 6 and the coplanar side panels 7 and 8. This procedure results in producing the smallest possible i folded package;

With reference to Fig. 3, it will be appreciated thatthe ,shape therein illustrated may be diecut or punched froma single rectangular sheet of cardboard or other suitable -sheet stock having the overall dimensions of the blank,

, 'iand since the hinged wings are coextensive in length 7 withthepanel members between them, very little waste is .1 produced in the manufacture. The cost of production is further held to a practical minimum by reason of the faetthat the one-piece construction, and the absenceaof ,fasteners or other accessory parts, reduces the handling cost and the number of fabricating operations to an abso lute minimum.

, The double score lines shown are provided for the purside edge dimension of the eyelet.

to, within the scope ofthe appended claims, without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1'. A piece 'of material scored and cutto form a stadium seat, or the like, having a bottom panel, a foldable back panel, oppositely disposed foldable sides on one only of said panels and oppositely disposed straps on one end of each of said sides, said straps being foldable behind the other of said panels and means to hold said straps behind said other panel to 'forma seat, the fold able sides 'each'being scored 'obliquely to the panels for collapse of the sides flatforin.

2. A piece of material scored and cut to form a stadium seat, or the like, having a bottom panel, a foldable back panel, oppositely disposed foldable sides on one only of said panels and'oppositely disposed straps on one 'end of each of said sides, :sai d straps being foldable behind the other of said panels and means to hold said straps behind said otherpanel toform a seat.

3. A piece of material scored and cut to form a stadium seat, or the. like, having a bottom panel, a foldable back panel,.oppositely disposed foldable sides on one of said panels and oppositely disposed straps on one end of each of said sides, said straps being adapted to fold behind the other of said panels, and free ends-on said straps including connecting means therefor, said connecting means. comprising a T-shaped tongue at one strap end, and at the other strap end an eyelet having a forward edge defined by two side edges converging fromsaid forward edge, said tongue including aneck portion and a pair of oppositely extending coplanar tabs adapted for insertion into said eyelet the tabs in. coplanar condition being of greater span than the forward edge of the eyelet, and the, tab width being no greater, than the References Cited in the Ifile of this patent V UNITED STATES'PATENTS,

1,335,701 Ramsburg M81130, 1920 1,461,415 Davidson July 10, 1 923 -1,83l,4 28 Sherman a Nov; 10, 1931 2 ,759,527 Myrick Aug. 21, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain JuneZ, 1905 folding the panels of the'seat to s 

